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Building new server from scratch!


hansolo77

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Hey all!  I've been working on learning how to setup and install WSE 2012 R2 and I think I'm finally there.  However, I'm feeling very limited in my capacities as my case is overflowing with drives.  So I'm going to be building a new server from the ground up and would like some advice and suggestions as to what I should get.  I'm only a part-time worker and don't really make a lot of money.  So the purchasing time line is going to be really long.  So far, I know for certain that I'm going to but the Norco 4224 case.  I've read reviews and it has been recommended time and time again.  The only issue with this case appears to be the fans, and the potential for the backplanes to be DOA.  But at the price, it's a steal compared to other similar cases.  Plus, I'm going to get it through NewEgg, as they're the cheapest place around, and they offer really quick RMA's for exchanges if there's something wrong with.
 
Now I'm at the point of internals.  The first order of business is the motherboard.  Form factor isn't really an issue as the Norco case fully supports a whole range.  Individual features are where I'm struggling.  I know that I want to have room for expansion.  So I'm kinda staying away from those Mini ITX boards, since they, for the most part, all seem to have only 1 expansion slot.  I already have 1 SAS controller, and plan on getting an expander.  So that would be 2 slots.  As for the processor, I'm not sure what I need.  My usage scenario is a simple home file server for client backups and media streaming.  So I suppose I don't need anything major.  The same goes for RAM. 
 
As it is right now, I'm thinking about getting one of these:

SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCL-F-O LGA 1155 Intel C202 Micro ATX Intel Xeon E3 Server Motherboard
or
SUPERMICRO MBD-A1SAM-2550F-O uATX Server Motherboard FCBGA 1283 DDR3 1600/1333
 
The first board is nice, in that it has plenty of expansion slots, Support for Xeon processors, and is cheap.  However, it only supports ECC memory of max 32gb, SATA 3.0GB/s, and is cheap.  The second board is nice, in that it has just enough expansion slots for my needs (controller and expander), already comes with a processor, supports (but not require) ECC memory of max 64gb, and has 2xSATA 6.0Gb/s, but is a little more expensive.
 
So which board should I get?  Integrated CPU and more RAM, or more slots, less RAM, and mandatory ECC?  Or should I look at something else?  What are your suggestions?

EDIT ->  I just looked at and am now also adding this contender:
SUPERMICRO MBD-A1SAM-2550F-O uATX Server Motherboard FCBGA 1283 DDR3 1600/1333

 

It's got more everything.  More SATA 6.0Gb/s, TONS more RAM, support for faster CPU, and more expensive.  To put it in perspective, this new board would probably take a month to save up for.

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Another day, no reply.

 

@lee1878 - Would this work if it's a Mastercard, but also a checking debit card from your bank? That's all I have. I couldn't get "credit" if my life depended on it. I can't even get overdraft protection from my own bank that I've had an account with over 20 years.

 

That depends on how your bank wants to handle it. But not as likely.

 

That said, if you REALLY need to to build up credit, get a pre-paid credit card.  Use it for what you'd use debit for and keep refilling it.

The other option is to get somebody that trusts you and that you trust to add your name to their account.  

 

That or make sure you have bills in your name.  

 

I started off with a $300 credit limit (because of apartment) and now I have a $5k limit. ... and a bunch of unwanted offers for more cards. 

That's the life of a computer user when it goes wrong it really goes wrong nothing is ever simple. I just upgraded my entire server rack and I have a long list of missing parts ready for the phone call to my supplier in the morning one of which is a faulty 24 bay expander backplane which half the led's dont work which will need replacing it's a shame you don't live closer I have an ever growing list of spare stuff to sell at some point

 

 

My last anxiety attack was hardware induced....

 

 

That said, are those APC UPS's rack mounted ones?

 

Especially that 2200VA one. I ask beacuse my poor Cyberpower 1500 just can't handle the load.

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Is that your list of stuff to sell, or list of stuff you're currently using? :)  I have no need for 2 x 4u server cases (24 drive i assume), my home entertainment collection isn't near that large (yet!).  But if they're for sell, I wonder how much you'd part for one of them seeing as how mine is falling apart at the seams.  I live in Columbus, Ohio.  Chris has sent me quite a few bits of hardware over the last couple of years.  He lives in California and it takes 2 maybe 3 days tops to get here.

 

Anyway, since going with the old drive cages and reverse breakout cables, I've managed to have Drivepool verify all the files exist, although not all entirely duplicated to my specified settings.  I have a spare drive that isn't necessarily failing but runs at 48c when the drive isn't being used and is just powered on.  So I typically only use it sparingly as needed.  I've added it into the pool to help spread out some duplication until I get some replacement drives (and backplane(s)).

 

@Chris - That's probably what I'm going to have to do eventually.  I don't know where my credit went.  I had good credit, then Capital One shafted me when I lost my job.  They sent my $4 charge to collections and closed my account.  While in collections I never got billed.  Suddenly years later I get this bill in the mail saying I owed some creditor I never heard of over $3k.  When I called them to find out who they were and what that was for, they said it was originally issued from Capital One.  When I called Capital One, they said they no longer had the account, and I couldn't pay my $4 to them, I'd have to settle with the collection agency.  Apparently it had skipped around to a dozen different collection agencies before finally landing on one with the decency to send a bill.  I had no idea I even still owed, but over 5 years, late fees, no payment fees, interest, etc all added up.  The latest agency was willing to settle for half, so I used one year's tax refund to pay it off.  But by then the damage was done.  I don't have BAD credit, I have ZERO credit.  I can't buy a car and make payments, I have to save and buy with cash.  I can't move into an apartment because they run a credit check.  Like I said, I can't even get overdraft protection from my own bank.  I've even tried applying for financing at places like Walmart.  When I got my TV, I had the cash in hand but gave it a shot hoping they would set up a line to let me rebuild credit while I paid them off.  They instantly declined the application, but just as instantly took the cash.  One place I went to said the don't even accept cash, that they don't have a register and lockbox to hold it and I'd have to pay with a card.  Luckily my bank has a debit card with a MasterCard logo on it, or I'd be screwed.

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Just a heads up, just because it's 4U doesn't mean that it has a bunch of drive bays.  I can link plenty of 4U cases that have only internal bays (and not many of them).   

 

 

As for the credit stuff, ouch. yeah, that really sucks.  And yeah.. that tends to be how things are handled... :(

 

 

That said, this link may help you out a lot:

http://lifehacker.com/5850711/build-credit-by-using-the-right-prepaid-credit-cards

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Hi Chris yes there rackmount with rails and lugs but I live in the U.K. So the postage is the killer I've seen sweet

Deals in the us only to be find the postage costs more than the item. All the stuff is my original rackmount gear which can be found on here inc photos my new setups are ryzen powered 😜But I have a long list of missing stuff before I can complete the builds.

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Doncha just luv it?!

 

I was at work today, got a blurp on my phone that I got an email from info@ipcdirect.net.  We have a limited data plan, so I didn't open it.  Just got home from work, and wouldn't you know.. it's an automated system asking for me to provide customer feedback on my purchase.  WTF.

 

----------------------

Email for Day #4

----------------------

 

You must be either automatically deleting my requests, or simply ignoring me.  What's the deal?  Do you not understand English?  Perhaps I'll try Chinese...

我訂購的背æ¿åœ¨æŠµé”時有缺陷。 我需è¦ä¸€å€‹RMA來交æ›ä¸€å€‹å·¥ä½œçš„。 你能回答我的指示嗎? è¬è¬ï¼

 

The backplane I ordered was defective upon arrival.  I need an RMA to exchange it for a working one.  Will you please reply with instructions for me?  Thank you!

 

-Aaron

 

----- Forwarded Message -----

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Lol Aaron having done a little checking even tho your not covered by the credit card company you are still covered under the distance selling regulations I would make a formal complaint to the governing body where you live even check with your bank they may also have some leverage failing that check weather the local authority can help

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Hi Chris yes there rackmount with rails and lugs but I live in the U.K. So the postage is the killer I've seen sweet

Deals in the us only to be find the postage costs more than the item. All the stuff is my original rackmount gear which can be found on here inc photos my new setups are ryzen powered But I have a long list of missing stuff before I can complete the builds.

 

Ouch, yeah, the shipping is definitely killer. :(

 

I'll guess I'll have to keep looking here (i've not found good deals... at least not when I have the spare funds for it). 

 

Doncha just luv it?!

 

I was at work today, got a blurp on my phone that I got an email from info@ipcdirect.net.  We have a limited data plan, so I didn't open it.  Just got home from work, and wouldn't you know.. it's an automated system asking for me to provide customer feedback on my purchase.  WTF.

 

----------------------

Email for Day #4

----------------------

 

You must be either automatically deleting my requests, or simply ignoring me.  What's the deal?  Do you not understand English?  Perhaps I'll try Chinese...

我訂購的背板在抵達時有缺陷。 我需要一個RMA來交換一個工作的。 你能回答我的指示嗎 謝謝

 

The backplane I ordered was defective upon arrival.  I need an RMA to exchange it for a working one.  Will you please reply with instructions for me?  Thank you!

 

-Aaron

 

----- Forwarded Message -----

 

Ouch...

 

You should leave feedback though... some nasty feedback about how shitty the entire process has been.... 

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Well I've made some progress..  Waiting to hear back.  I decided to CALL them.  Last night when I got home from work I called them.  In Eastern Standard Time it was 8pm, but that should be 4pm in California.  There was no answer, then after about the 6th ring there was an automated voice system saying they were closed and to call back again, then it hung up before letting me leave a message.  So today I got off at 6pm, so I called them again.  This time it went right through and I got.. wait for it... JUDY ZHOU!!  The person who sent me the faulty backplane in the first place lol.  So I told her I had been trying to communicate via email the request for RMA and she said they never got the email.  At first I'm thinking "check again" but she asked if I had attached a photo with the email and I told her I did, showing the problem.  She said the photos might have been too large, that their email system might have blocked it and to try again after reducing them.  She also suggested I not combine them, but send them individually.  I had them zipped.  So I just got done resending a new request with the photos attached at 800x533 resolution, and I opted to not include all the added red text and arrows.  She seemed nice enough, were it not for a huge language gap and her broken English lol.  So if things go as planned, she'll get this email with the reduced resolution images, and I'll have this finally taken care of.  If I can get a GOOD backplane, I can at least confirm the system/company is good and I can go ahead and order another one for #6. 

 

All said, I think they are probably going to follow through now that I've called them.  It does make sense about getting email blocked if it's too large.  I know Yahoo mail has a size limit to what I can attach.  That's why I included a link to the photos online.  But still, if it blocks the whole email, that would explain why they never even got the link.  It would also explain why they haven't responded yet, since each email I sent was a forward of the same email with the same photos attached.  All my bad mouthing about them, and it was probably my fault to begin with.

 

Fingers crossed this is good!

 

=========

UPDATE!!!!!

=========

 

Just got this message in my email:
 

------

 

Hi, Aaron

The power connector is not a problem. We removed it because no need 2 for one backplane. We will mail you another one with good Sas connector by USPS mail tomorrow. The tracking will be ##########

Thanks

 

Judy Zhou

NORCO Technologies Inc

17531 Railroad Street, Suite C

City of Industry CA 91748

Tel: 1(626)965-7470

Fax: 1(866)430-0865

Web: www.norcotek.com

Email: judyzhou@norcotek.com

 

------

 

So there you have it!  I sent her a reply asking if she wanted this one back, haven't heard back yet.  I wonder if I can maybe FIX this one, then I won't have to buy another one?  I'd really like to have that capability of having redundancy power even though I'm not using it.  But to me, that SAS connector is just way too tiny to think I can do anything with.  I mean, those pins are TINY.  Maybe I can get in there with some needle-nose tweezers and pull out that little damaged bit of plastic.. does it look like something that would be NEEDED?  It looks like it's just something from the bottom of the socket that got broken off and some how lodged itself diagonally up where the connection with the SAS cable is made.  If I can remove it, maybe the connector will work fine. 

Edited by Christopher (Drashna)
removed tracking number
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Well, yay! at least....

 

My suggestion, for anything critical like this, always create a "read receipt" to ensure it arrived 

https://support.google.com/a/answer/1385059?hl=en

 

And .... that's a shitty email server they're using then.... 

 

 

As for fixing the SAS connector .... I wouldn't even attempt it.  :(

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We have the read receipt option in our Outlook at work.  It's definitely nice to know that somebody has looked at it and just hasn't responded to you yet (or ever).  It would have been nice in the particular case, because I would have been able to see that she/they had not opened it yet.  Would have been an indication that something was really F*ed up.  I still don't understand why their email server would full on BLOCK the email, and not just send it truncated or something.  Even still, if it were blocked, it should have sent it back to me as undeliverable with at least some reason why.  This looks to me like they just have a filter set up to just automatically delete all email if it contains attachments over 50k or something.

 

Anyway, since I started using my old drive cage and reverse cable, I was able to find 2 drives that had completely failed.  So I ordered a new 4tb drive through Amazon (free 2-day prime shipping).  It arrived today.  I have it plugged in and formatting.  I've had very high success with Seagate's 4tb NAS drives (codenamed IronWolf).  They were $250+, now it's down to $160.  Pretty cool that.  The drives available in the same original price range are 10tb now.  Jeez!  I almost bought an 8tb drive, but I'm still unsure if it's worth it.  I have a lot of data I just store and don't move around a lot, but the way DrivePool appears to work, I think it's better not having a drive that has a major throughput dropoff after utilizing 50%.  It seems like my pool is always trying to move files around whenever I add new data.  Any thoughts on this?

 

Also @ Chris - Did you miss my question when I asked about that whole "new drives appear offline" bit in Windows Server 2k12r2?  You said something about using Diskpart, and I asked for more details since I don't know that program.  It sounds like a drive partitioning tool similar to the old 'fdisk', so I wasn't sure if that's what you meant, or how to go about doing it.  Also, is it something that I can set once and never worry about again, or is it something I'd have to set for each drive separately and repeatedly every time I connect a new drive?

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Yeah, it's a poorly configured email server. And it's a REALLY bad practice for a business.  And it says a lot about them, IMO. 

 

As for the pricing, yeah, they do come down over time. New lines are generally more expensive, but the "ironwolf" isn't a new line. 

But it is always nice to see. :)

 

 

As for the "new drives appear offline", this is entirely normal on Server OS's.  it's part of the "SAN Policy". 

 
The SAN policy determines whether a newly discovered disk is brought online or remains offline, and whether it becomes read/write or remains read-only. When a disk is offline, the disk layout can be read, but no volume devices are surfaced through Plug and Play. This means that no file system can be mounted on the disk. When a disk is online, one or more volume devices are installed for the disk. The following is an explanation of each parameter:
  • OnlineAll. Specifies that all newly discovered disks will be brought online and made read/write.
  • OfflineAll. Specifies that all newly discovered disks except the startup disk will be offline and read-only by default.
  • OfflineShared. Specifies that all newly discovered disks that do not reside on a shared bus (such as SCSI and iSCSI) are brought online and made read-write. Disks that are left offline will be read-only by default.
If you want to change this, run "diskpart".
Then run "san policy=onlineall"
 
This will prevent new disks from showing up as offline. 
 
 
As for DISKPART, it's a command line interface for "VDS" (Virtual Disk Service). VDS is is what the Disk Management console connects to, and what we use to query disk info. 
And yes, it's similar to fdisk, but much much more powerful. It can format disks, partition them, wipe them, assign drive letters, etc. 
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You make it sound so complicated.  Would you recommend then that I just leave the policy to offline?  I just find it annoying when I'm trying to troubleshoot failing backplanes and drives, to have to go in and re-online them every time I pull one and move it to another slot.  For the rare instance where I'm actually installing a new drive, I don't mind it being offline all that much.  I mean, I have to go into the Disk Manager to initialize the drive and format it before I can use it anyway.  Maybe I'll just leave it lol.

 

So I got the replacement backplane for the faulty one they sent me today.  It looks the same as the others, and is missing the MOLEX power pins.  I just don't understand how they can say "they're not needed".  If that's the case, why have them installed in the first place?  Ok, so they have one model only and they pull the pins for their cases that aren't 2-supply made.  Still, why bother pulling the pins at all?  What happens if one socket blows?  I can't connect to the other one... I guess if the power on the backplane goes, I'd probably need to replace the backplane anyway.  <shrug> I just don't understand why they bother.. seems like more work to "downgrade" them.

 

Anyway, the new backplane works like a dream!  I tested it first above the case with the drives originally installed there.  They were all detected just fine in the controller card's utility.  I then installed the backplane and tested all the drives again prior to screwing it in.  I then connected the power and data to all the other backplanes and tested those.  Everything seemed to be working just fine.  Then when Windows loaded up, Drivepool was again complaining about the drives in Rail 6 being missing.  OMG.  So I disconnected everything, pulled out the #6 and looked at it for signs of damage.  No blown caps, no bent pins, no broken plastic.  So I reconnected the data and power to just #6 and tested each slot.  They were all working fine.  What gives...  So I then reinstalled it to the slot again, tested each drive bay, everything's good.  Maybe the data cable became loose when I was removing the fans.  Who knows?  All I know is, it is now WORKING, and everything is good.  Now I just got to wait for DrivePool to finish checking the data so I can start using my server again!

 

Hey quick question... was there ever a build of Scanner built yet that will attempt to recover files that are damaged from elsewhere in the pool?  Like, Scanner says a drive has some bad sectors, it scans for affected files and attempts to repair them in a new location.  Was there a build made that just checks if the file exists somewhere in the pool, and then just erases the file on the damaged drive and just goes on to attempt sector repair (remap)?

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Well, it's a complicated topic. 

 

As for what to do, that depends on you. 

 

Personally, I set it to "OnlineAll" on my storage server. But for my HyperV system, I leave it at "OfflineAll" (because hyperV supports disk passthrough, but the disk must be offline). :)

But for your use case, "OnlineAll" is probably the best option. 

 

 

As for the molex power connectors,  generally, unless you have two power supplies or a redundant power supply that supports this, then you don't really need both sets. In theory. 

 

As for not putting the pins on .... well, it's cheaper to make a PCB that supports both options... especially if you ship both. (or in this case, USED to ship both). 

 

As for the drive issues... it may have been a loose connection.  My guess ... too much power (check the 12VDC rail on your power supply, and make sure you have ~2A per drive). 

 

As for StableBit Scanner:  Nope. Not at this time.   It's something that we've discussed. Especially since ReFS supports integrity streams. 

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So here's a question...

 

About UPS.  I was at the (only) computer store the other day and was looking at what they had to offer.  The prices are fair, around $200 for the high end stuff.  480 minutes, 10 outlets, etc.  But my question is.. are these compatible with rack mounting?  All I had to go by was the photo on the box, and they all look like they just sit on the floor.  I thought I remembered seeing examples online that were designed to go into a rack or cabinet.  Am I just remembering wrong, or do they come mounting kits?  Also, I remember Chris saying something about the Sine wave being important.  There were lots of different options to chose from in that regard, and I want to make sure I ultimately get the right thing.  To be honest, I don't even know what a sine wave is, other than a wave on a graphing calculator from algebra math class in high school.  They had some that were true, some that are simulated, some that weren't even listed.  I just want to make sure that what I get is going to be what I need.  I've never bought a UPS before and want to make sure I don't screw it up.  I had this in my Newegg wishlist from 09/2017: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842102224

 

The price is considerably higher that what I saw at the store, by a good $140 bucks.  And it has less outlets.  Am I paying more for the mounting hardware?  Or is it because of the brand?  At the store they had a lot of APC and Cyberpower.  But the mostly all looked like the kind here: https://goo.gl/DALv9U

 

Any help?

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A lof the UPS/battery backups are just "floor models". Meaning, yes, they just sit on the floor.   Generally, the rack mounted ones are advertised as such.   

 

That said, I have a couple of "floor" ones in my server rack, sitting in shelves. 

 

As for the sine wave stuff, it's "AVR" or "PFC"/pure sine wave.  The difference is when it is running off of the battery.  If your power supply is active PFC/sine wave, then if you're not using a similarly rated UPS, it can cause problems.

 

That said, this is  good post to read about the differences in the specs: 

https://blog.tripplite.com/line-interactive-vs-on-line-network-ups-systems-and-which-should-you-choose/

 

That said, if yo uwant a PFC/sine wave UPS, they're more expensive. The similar model to what you've linked is: 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1UH3H81159

 

The other thing is to look at the VA or wattage.  This indicates the battery capacity.  Higher capacity means longer run time.  Also, PFC is more expensive.  

 

And worse, yes, rack mounted UPS' are ... arbitrarily more expensive.

 

Also, generally anything over 1500VA will be different plugs (the standard is NEMA 5-15R, which is the normal, 3 prong US socket).  Higher than 1500VA starts using 20A and 30A sockets. 

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I never considered getting a shelf for the rack (other than the one I have the server case sitting on.  When I get some extra money together I'll consider that as an option.  This is the power supply I'm using my server http://www.corsair.com/en-us/ax760i-digital-atx-power-supply-760-watt-80-plus-platinum-certified-fully-modular-psu

 

So it says PFC in the details on their website.  I guess that means that's what I"m looking for.  Have any suggestions for something I should look for?

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Yeah, I have two, because I have a number of things that just aren't rack mountable (such as my cable modem, my custom built Sophos UTM router, my UPS'),

 

As for the powersupply, that's definitely an active PFC/pure sinewave power supply.   Most newer ones are. 

 

 

As for UPS', I have one of these: 

https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842102134

 

And I've been very happy with it. It works well with my servers. 

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So I'm sending out another "Call for help!"  @Chris Can you help me friend?

 

I've started having a lot of intermittent crashes with my server.  I'm not sure what's causing in.  I've got it set to go into standby when I'm not at home to save electricity.  Sometimes when I get home from work, I send it a remote wake "magic packet" so my Kodi box I built out of a Raspberry Pi can stream a TV show or something from it.  Most of the time it works fine.  However there have been a few occasions (lots more recently) where I'm sitting here for 5 minutes and it never wakes up.  Then I go and turn on the monitor hooked up to it and find the system had somehow crashed and is at the Windows install screen (thanks to the USB drive I have plugged into the mobo with the installer software on it).  I've found that if I power off the computer, wait, then turn it back on after a few minutes, everything comes up fine.  This is a separate issue.  When the system is finally up and running, a window prompts for input as to the cause of the unexpected system shut down.  I'm not sure what causes it.  I've checked my logs, and honestly there is just a massive amount of errors all over the place.  It looks like a cascading failure, where it will be fine for hours and hours, then all of a sudden some random thing stops working right, which causes a chain reaction failure ultimately causing the system to crash and reboot. 

 

I actually witnessed the system do this while I was in a remote desktop session.  My mouse became unresponsive, and looked like things had locked up.  Then a window appeared saying the system was being halted to protect system resources or something.  I've never seen that window before, and it wasn't a BSOD crash either.  Needless to say, everything rebooted and came up with the Windows Installer again.

 

So I did a whole bunch of generic "simple user" fixes.  Ran a chkdsk on the C: drive (came back clean).  Did a Windows Memory Diagnostic (during reboot, came back clean).  I then tried to do a "sfc /scannow".  This ran through 100% then said it finished but was unable to repair some files.  This has me concerned.  I've ran the sfc multiple times now, and each time it finishes it says it fixed some things but not all.  I'm kind of at a loss here and don't know what it's failing on or how to fix it.  I think there is a critical problem with a major system file that needs to be working right for the system to run, and since it's running it can't fix it.  Is there an alternative tool or process I should take to further investigate this?  Here is a link to my Dropbox where I've uploaded the log if you'd like to look at it:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fuxujpho2us43xh/CBS.log?dl=0

 

Lastly, what I think may be the root cause of the problem, is in the rebooting.  It doesn't want to reboot into the SSD drive that contains the OS.  Rather, it's booting to the USB drive as a 2nd boot device.  This means the BIOS doesn't detect the SSD.  I've had this aching suspicion in the back of my head that this SSD is crap.  I bought it through Amazon when it was on sale for like $50 I think.  At the time, that was a great deal for the capacity (120gb).  I'm sure there are much larger capacity drives for cheaper than that now, as tech pricing is always doing that.  What I suspect is happening, the drive fails and shuts down while Windows is still running.  Then Windows' built in safety measures kick in and reboot the system.  Since the drive is still "off", the BIOS doesn't detect it, and thus Windows is never able to start.  By powering off the computer and turning it back on, I'm resetting some capacitor or something in the SSD drive, and it starts working again.  The only other thing it might be would be a faulty power supply.  I did buy this as a manufacturer guaranteed refurbish..  And my BIOS system logs have a bunch of "lower non-critical" errors, but I've just been ignoring them because word is this specific model mobo has the sensors miscalibrated.

 

I'd really like to just replace this drive altogether.  But the drive is my OS, and holds all my Drivepool information, etc..  If I were to go buy a similar capacity drive, is there an easy utility to just duplicate the drive over, without having to start from scratch and reinstall Windows?

 

Thanks for all your help.  I know I pretty much alienate this forum except for when I'm struggling and need help.  I'm glad you're here for that, and have helped to hook me up with hardware in the past when I've needed it.  You're a true friend.  Hope to hear back soon!

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What version of StableBit DrivePool are you using? 

The reason I ask, is it looks like some of the latest betas have a memory leak in them, and it could be the cause here.

 

Otherwise, .... the simplest way I can help is to run the StableBit Troubleshooter on teh system in question. 

http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_Troubleshooter

 

 

 

 

However, if the issue is that it doesn't want to boot from the SSD drive, and .... especially if it's not showing up when this happens.....   It sounds like a firmware bug with the SSD.  In this case, the solution is "replace it". 

 

Regards

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That version wouldn't be affected by the memory leak. 

 

But it may be worth checking out the latest build (as it fixes that issue and should be stable).  that is version 2.2.0.765

 

 

If the freeze/halt continues, it may be worth trying this:

http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_System_Freeze

 

As this may be able to induce a memory dump by "crashing" the system. 

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